Connect Asia
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Sri Lanka's defeated presidential candidate arrested
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:52
Sri Lanka's former army chief Sarath Fonseka has been arrested for unspecified "military offences." A spokesman for the main opposition alliance the JVP, said General Fonseka, who unsuccessfully challenged President Mahinda Rajapakse, in national elections last month, was taken away by force by about 100 soldiers.
Australia warned over aid boost to Burma
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:52
Australia has announced a 40 per cent rise in humanitarian aid to Burma, hoping to encourage a democratic election later this year.
Australia works with Burma navy in regional exercise
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:52
Despite Australian military sanctions on Rangoon, a navy ship from Burma will be working alongside the Australian navy in a regional navy exercise in the Indian Ocean.
Whaling activists to face court
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:52
A United Nations committee says Japan has breached the human rights of two Greenpeace activists who exposed an illegal trade in whale meat.
Changes sought by East Timor's new anti-corruption chief
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:51
East Timor's new Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Aderito Soares, says better co-ordination is needed with the country's Prosecutor's Office to avoid adding to the existing backlog of graft cases.
Death of child highlights Pakistan's vulnerable
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:51
Shazia Masih, a 12-year-old housemaid from Lahore, was buried last Monday after she died of unexplained injuries at the house of her employer.
Indigenous leader attacks Australian native title laws
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:51
Prominent Australian Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson has given a damning assessment of Native Title.
Australian indigenous stars to sing at Vancouver Winter Olympics
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:51
A group of Indigenous Australian musicians are heading to Vancouver, to take part in the Winter Olympic Games this week.
Mobile TV a truly Korean craze
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:51
The technology for viewing television programs on your mobile phone has been around for a number of years.
A galloping good time as Mumbai residents head to the Derby
Updated 09/02/2010 13:10:51
It's the biggest horse race in India with a huge international audience.
Monday, 8 February 2010
Australia to shorten skilled worker migration list
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:05
The Australian Government has announced a dramatic overhaul of Australia's skilled migration programme.
Australian migration changes to affect students
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:05
The immediate scrapping of the list of jobs used by Australia to pick migrants, replacing it with one more focused on highly-skilled work.
New focus for US defense strategy
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:04
The United States Defence department has outlined a strategy for what it calls 'rebalancing' its force structure to respond to burgeoning sources and types of threats.
Iran nuclear move prompts international condemnation
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:04
Iran has heightened suspicions in the West that it plans to build a nuclear bomb.
Japan PM prepared to get tough on disputed islands
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:04
Japan's Prime Minister says he'll do his best to resolve a decades-long territorial dispute with Russia.
Australia key food technology role in Asia
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:04
Australia's Agriculture Minister says technology is becoming increasingly important for maintaining food security, as climate change makes farming more difficult around the world.
Airshow brilliance belies shaky year for travel
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:04
Participants in the Singapore Airshow have expressed optimism that the region, particularly China, will lead the rest of the world to recovery after one of the worst years on record for global travel.
New deal a step forward for China-Australia ties: analyst
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:04
Australian miner Resourcehouse has signed a $US60 billion coal deal with China.
Little progress in case of missing Thai rights lawyer
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:04
It's almost six years, since Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaichit disappeared.
Low budget Australian film captures Indian imagination
Updated 08/02/2010 13:41:04
A Bollywood-inspired short film made by students in the Australian city of Adelaide for just $AU3,000, has screened in over 160 countries over the weekend.
Friday, 5 February 2010
US promises to battle currency disadvantage
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:49
US President Barack Obama says he will increase pressure on China and several other Asian nations to increase the value of their currencies.
Hope for better Pakistan-India ties
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:49
There's fresh hope of improved relations between India and Pakistan, with both sides signalling a resumption of high-level talks.
A rethink needed on Australia's indigenous youth
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:49
Researchers have told a new Parliamentary inquiry in Canberra that jailed young Aboriginal Australians are being dehabilitated rather than rehabilitated.
Depressing child report prompts calls for greater funding
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:49
A new UN report has registered particular concern of the dire situation for many children in South Asia.
Gains made, but global child health still concern
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:49
International healthcare professionals and medical experts are meeting in Melbourne to address the issue of children's health.
No responsibility found in Australian illegal internet download case
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:49
In a landmark piracy case that had been followed closely around the world, the film industry has lost a copyright battle against Australian internet service provider IINET.
Thais on edge over political future
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:49
For weeks now, Thais have endured front page reports of an imminent coup.
MAG Cambodia achieves significant landmine clearance
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:48
Cambodia is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world and as a result, has a high number of people with missing limbs.
Post-Sumatran quake rebuild must be long-term: experts
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:48
Authorities in Indonesia are ramping up efforts to rebuild areas in Sumatra devastated by an earthquake last September.
Beggars face court as India cleans up for Commonwealth Games
Updated 05/02/2010 13:27:48
Mobile courts in the Indian capital New Delhi are conducting summary trials of beggars, to get them off the streets.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Taliban attacks school in northwest Pakistan
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:09
Pakistan's volatile north-western region has again been hit by violence - this time, an attack on a school which killed at least 10 people, including three schoolgirls and three American soldiers.
Indian anger over attacks in Australia continues
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:09
Calls by an Australian state premier for balanced reporting on violence against Indians in Australia has drawn an angry response from sections of the Indian media.
Public shaming expected for North Korean official
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:09
A senior North Korean finance official has been sacked, after overseeing the country's disastrous currency revaluation.
Bomb injures several people in northern Australian city
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:09
An insurance company targetted by an explosion in the northern Australian city of Darwin yesterday says dealing with threats is part of the insurance business.
Japan's rock port plans angers China
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:09
Japan has set aside $US7 million towards building a port on a tiny outcrop of rocks called Okinotori, almost 2,000 kilometres south of Tokyo.
Malaria breakthrough for Australian researchers
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:09
Australian researchers has discovered how the malaria parasite is able to invade human cells.
Long wait taking its toll for Sri Lankans in Indonesian port
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:09
For three months a group of 240 Sri Lankan Tamils have been stranded on a boat in western Java, in Indonesia, caught short of reaching Australia where they planned to apply for asylum.
More bad news for Toyota
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:09
Having announced the recall of eight million vehicles around the globe because of faulty accelerators, the world's biggest car-maker Toyota has hit more pot-holes.
Car makers race for electric market
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:08
They've been touted as the next big trend in the car industry, but it will be a few years before you have to un-plug the toaster to charge your electric car.
Old traditions fall with Malaysian forests
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:08
The indigenous wood carvers of Malaysia say their livelihood is under threat from rampant deforestation on their island, off Port Klang in western Malaysia.
Plenty more jellyfish in the sea
Updated 04/02/2010 13:45:08
Overfishing and climate change are posing twin threats to the world's fisheries.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
US rejects China pressure over Dalai Lama meeting
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:21
China is warning United States President Barack Obama not to meet Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
Climate dominates Australian politics
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:21
Climate change politics have dominated the start of a new year in the Australian Parliament.
Indonesian media giant launches democratic movement
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:21
Thousands of people gathered in an indoor stadium in Jakarta on Tuesday, to witness the birth of a new movement.
US to review military's gay policy
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:21
The US is moving a step closer to lifting its ban on gay men and women serving opening in the military.
Dengue fears in north east Australia
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:21
As the people of Australia's northeastern state of Queensland clean up from tropical cyclone Olga, a new danger is emerging from waterlogged backyards in the state's north.
Massive US budget calls for thrift
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:20
A surprising burst in growth over the last quarter has led to some predictions that America is shaking-off the recession it fell into, in late 2007.
A book of memories from Vietnamese diaspora
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:20
More than 30 years ago, Nathalie Nguyen's family came to Australia as political refugees from Vietnam.
Bio-security training attracts Indonesian participants
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:20
A training course being held this week in Geelong, an hour's drive from Melbourne, is giving senior officials from Indonesia experience in dealing with potential bio-risk hazards.
New research on sudden infant death syndrome
Updated 03/02/2010 13:11:20
There's more evidence to support the theory that babies who die of sudden infant death syndrome have a chemical deficiency.
